As for a tool for evaluating a manufactured semiconductor device or components in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus after use, there is known a particle collecting apparatus for collecting particles deposited on a surface of a semiconductor device or the like (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-71083). This particle collecting apparatus is brought into contact with the semiconductor device or the like as an evaluation target, forms a sealed space on the surface of the semiconductor device or the like, and supplies a gas into the sealed space. Further, the particle collecting apparatus collects particles deposited on the surface of the semiconductor device or the like by peeling off the particles deposited on the surface of the semiconductor device or the like by using the supplied gas and sucking gas containing the peeled-off particles. The particle collecting apparatus includes an ultrasonic wave generator and can effectively peel off the particles deposited on the surface of the semiconductor device or the like by using an ultrasonic wave emitted from the ultrasonic wave generator.
Since, however, it is required to bring a conventional particle collecting apparatus into contact with the target object in order to form a sealed space, the semiconductor or the like as the evaluation target may be contaminated or damaged. The conventional particle collecting apparatus may be used without contact with the semiconductor device or the like as the evaluation target. In that case, however, the sealed space is not formed on the surface of the semiconductor device or the like. As a consequence, a collecting rate of the particles is decreased. In addition, the particles deposited on the surface of the semiconductor device or the like are scattered by the gas supplied from the particle collecting apparatus. As a result, another contamination may occur at the semiconductor device or the like.